It's so fat.....

..... We ran out of lights.   So there it sits half wrapped in lights waiting to be all dressed up.

A gift?? For me???? You shouldn't have.....

.... No really..... You shouldn't have.   Bad kitty!   And he just looks at me as if to say "What!?" Just like a teenager.   Poor little bird.   In this picture of Clyde, it was a very cold day.   He was sitting on the vent to warm himself.   He stays in trouble.  We are all tired of what a pain he can be but no one can get rid of him.  

Who's Ready???

Well,  I guess it's not decorated yet,  but Isn't it beautiful?   It was the biggest one I could find.   Love it!

This from Emily......

Sometimes I feel like a child.    I'm still laughing.  Hahahahahahahahaha!!

This a test.....

This is only a test.....I see that others are struggling with blogger.  So, before I put too much effort into making a huge post, I want to make sure it works.  Look at that lovely young couple....were we ever really that young.  It's funny, I don't feel much older than that picture, but I sure look it.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING y'all!

All Hallows Eve.....

 The TRICK was definitely on us!!  It started raining in the afternoon.  I did not get to take my scene and win first place.  I think first place for that little ordeal should have been for endurance!  After we got there it really started raining.  We had one little umbrella.  I got the umbrella.  John stood in the rain.  We handed out candy to kids by the handful so we could get rid of it as quickly as possible.  The kids all stayed under the pavilion having a good time.  Every so often they would run out and get candy and then go back to the pavilion.  I think for once the kids were wiser than the adults.  I didn't even get a picture of Emily or John.  John went as.......John.  No surprise there.  He is not really into all that stuff.  Just went to socialize.  Emily was a gumball machine, which was adorable.  I need to put her back in it and take a picture.  A shout out to Carol, John's mom, for sweating over Ethan and Emily's costumes.  Handmade by her---FROM A PICTURE!  She is so creative.  Ethan is a character from a video game.  We did not last all that long.  An hour, maybe a little longer.  Even the kids were ready to go.  But ya know, we still had a good time.  Looking forward to a dry Halloween next year, so we can win first place.  I really loved the tree.  It was fun.

Sour Grapes

Here's another sour note about wrecking my car...... I got a ticket.   I have a "court date".  It just sounds so criminal.   Wreckless driving.   The state trooper said if I don't plead not guilty the judge will likely reduce the ticket and allow me to take a DRIVER'S IMPROVEMENT course to keep from getting points on my drivers license.   Looking forward to that,  I am.

Don't ya just HaTe it when something like this happens and kicking yourself becomes your favorite past time????

STAY in YOUR homes!!

STAY OFF THE STREETS!!  SAVE YOURSELVES!!!!

 JOHN THOMPSON has a learner's permit!  Does John look like he's praying over there???  Brave soul!  Really, he's doing very well.  He has been driving his Gator and the tractor for so long, he really just needs a little practice and he will be ready to go solo......when he turns 16 and 3 months.  Next summer!  I am so looking forward to it.  He has only driven with me once.  My nerves are still raw from wrecking my car so it's hard on him to drive with me.  Panic much???  Yes, I do.  John and John went to the Punkin' Chunkin' in Delaware and after they dropped their trailer off at the rental place, John let John drive all the way home.  Over interstates and all.  And he did great!

This is a gift from my sweet little boy, John. We were eating at the Cracker Barrel on the way home from getting my new car.  And I mentioned that my new smelled like a man.  Not in a bad way, like cologne.  A clean man smell, thank goodness.  And we bought it from a.....MAN...so I guess it makes sense, right??  Back to the story....John wanted to go looking in the store part of the Cracker Barrel and he bought this for me.  Knew that this is my favorite Yankee Candle smell and picked it out just for me.  Love, LOVE that boy!  Yes, I do.

Tired, I am.......

 Midnight release of Modern Warfare 3, BABY!!  And also I am having Yoda Talk Syndrome.  We just read a book called The Strange Case of Oragami Yoda.  Very funny book.  Like choke on your drink funny.  I am really looking forward to the next book:  Darth Paper Strikes Back.

OK--so I should have Greatest Mom in the World status today.  Sadly, though, when I asked Dear Little Ethan to do his chores this morning (they are out of school due to voting) he was still a 13 year old boy.  Too bad for me!  Thought it would take until 3am to get to the front of the line, but it went pretty quick.  There were 300 games pre-ordered there and we were number 300 in line.  I can't believe I didn't take pictures.  We took one of Ethan's friends with us and they really had a good time.  Makes me smile.  And now before you all start saying what a bad mom I am for letting my child play an M rated game, let me just tell you that it has a graphic control setting that lets you tame the game down to a T setting.  So there!  

Look at the proud owner of the newest.....most exciting.....game.....EVER!!  He needs a nap!.....but not until after he does his chores.

My Poor Car

 I'll tell you the funny part first.......I was on my way home to take John to the DMV to take the test for his Learner's Permit.  Hahahahahaha!  Murphy's Law reigns in the Thompson house.  And sooooo......I was driving down the road, minding my own business (those of you who have heard stories of my experience in the ER will appreciate that), looked down for one second, and found myself in the ditch on my side of the road.  Over-corrected and ended up in the ditch on the opposite side of the road.  I hit the ditch straight on, which is what killed my poor car.  It really doesn't look that bad from here does it? ....Heavy sigh....

This was all I got to take home with me.  Sad, I was, yes, yes.

It just doesn't look all that bad until you look way up under there.  Then it looks ugly.  I loved that car.  Was going to drive it for a long, long time.  And furthermore, can you see that those tires are brand new?  Another thorn.

Let the festivities begin......

Decorating for Halloween.  We are gearing up for the Trunk or Treat contest in our neighborhood.  And if we don't win.....heads will roll!
                               
                                            MWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!

Shopping

Say it like you're singing in a high pitched voice.  Wow!  After a hectic first couple of weeks at school we needed a break.  A day full of shopping fit the bill perfectly.  We found new furniture.......

.....new shoes.  Don't they have great taste??  We found a book that may describe the Middle School experience perfectly by the time summer rolls around again.  Can you see that title?  (Although, they both are having a very good year so far.)

And what better way to unwind after a day full of shopping????  A facial.  A deep cleansing mask with eye puff removing lettuce.  No cucumbers today kids.  What a fabulous day.  Spent the whole day out of the house and touched everything we saw.  

Smellavision

Don't they just look so cute????  You'd never guess by looking at those cute faces how bad they smelled after the game.  I so wish you could all have shared the moment with me.  Maybe it wouldn't have smelled so bad if there were more noses there recirculating the air.  The bleachers were very close to the field at this game and we sat almost at the top.  When the whole team was directly in front of us the collective smell wafted all the way up.  It was not that great.....really.  Really.    

These guys have been friends since the 3rd grade.  In Ms. Ellis's class.  She was not much taller than them.  It is fun to hear them tell stories about when they first met.  

Dinwiddie Football

Ethan is #65 and his BFF Dakota is #22.  We are playing South Hill and we are beatin the pants off em.  John just looked over my shoulder and reminded me that football players do not have BFFs.   They have TEAMMATES.   So Dakota is Ethan's teammate.  

My new home away from home

What a perfect day.   John took the day off since he had to go to the dentist in the middle of the day.   I took a nap after I got the kids on the bus.   Went to the dentist with John-so maybe it wasn't his perfect day.   Then we went to Carytown in Richmond.   Cute little area with lots of cute little shops.   Got some chocolate and then had beer battered french fries..... with Diet Coke.   Have to keep it balanced.  

Is Someone Missing a Brain??

A mushroom in my yard that looks just like a brain.   Well... it doesn't really have all the wrinkles like to real brain, but still.   It's been fun to look at today.  
Blogger has an app for my phone now so I can blog everything I see.   Isn't that fun???

Meet the Teachers

This entry and the next one are out of order.  Don't know how that happened.  Crazy blogger.  At any rate, these are pictures of attempting to leave the house for Meet the Teacher Night.  6th Grade.  MIDDLE SCHOOL  I cannot believe it.  Emily is wearing lip gloss this year.  She has been able to wear it on special occasions, but never at school.   So, this year she gets to wear it to school and even take it with her for "touch ups".  Went to Sephora, and had one of the helpers try several different colors on her.  It was a special event.  She has been looking forward to it all summer.  The color she picked:  Aruba.  Sounds exotic, doesn't it.  She feels so grown up.  

She is very excited to be getting back to school.  School was delayed two days due to Hurricane Irene.  The schools were without electricity for several days so the teachers could not get into the schools to get their rooms ready.  Emily loves school.  A must during the Meet the Teacher event:  touring the library.  

Emily and her BFF Lauren.  They cannot wait to get to the school to see if they have classes together.  They already know they get to ride the bus together and they go to the same dance school.  

Trying to get rid of the preMeet the Teacher jitters.  Silly girls!

And as it turned out....they don't have a single class together.  Too Bad!  :( They are on completely different teams.  But hopefully they will be able to say hey to each other in the halls and at lunch.  The poor kids in our school district don't get to sit where ever they want at lunch until.....guess when....the 10th grade.   Is that so ridiculous??

Emily has fabulous teachers.  Emily loves them all.  They all seemed very friendly and helpful.  There was only one pitfall during the night--Emily's locker didn't have a lock on it.  Hopefully they will get that fixed by next week.  And if that is all we have to worry about, it was a successful night.   The librarian is lovely.  The library met Emily's approval.  The chorus teacher, as it turns out, is the same nice lady that gave Emily voice lessons when she was getting ready for Oliver!.  Made Emily so happy.  So, we are looking forward to a fabulous first year at grown up Middle School.

John--Meet the Teacher--did not allow pictures.  He is WAY too grown up for all that.  He has a full, hard schedule this year.  For the first half of the year, we will be deeply involved in Algebra 2, Biology, Writing, and World History.  Really, the 9th grade schedule was not so full.  You'd think they could come to a better balance.  We REALLY like his writing teacher and his biology teacher.  They are those above and beyond kind of teachers.  We are going to love them.  Algebra and history teachers are still lovely.  Seem knowledgeable and approachable.  So, John will be busy studying this year.  Will keep him out of trouble, right?

Ethan--Meet the Teacher--also did not allow picures.  Ethan has an EASY schedule for the fall.  EASY!!  He will pay for it in the 10th grade, though, just wait.  Adv Civics, Adv English, PE, and Technology.  His civics teacher is a little different, but by the end of the semester Ethan will like him.  His technology teacher has one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel.  He taught a lot of the teachers that are currently teaching there.  Ya....he's old.  But still a good teacher.  English teacher is one of those types of women that you just picture if she puts her hands on her hips and gives ya a dirty look, you'll either wet your pants or melt, but loves ya if you're behaving.

So, in summation....I guess it has turned out to be a wordy blog entry....we are all set to have a great year.  So, we could just embrace it or it could make you think something is bound to go wrong.  Afterall, how many times does it go perfectly right out of the gate?  I think I'm just going to embrace it and just deal with it IF trouble comes along.  The glass is completely full.

First Day of School

Doesn't she look so happy for it to be that early in the morning.  They have to get up at 5:30, bus runs about 6:30.  She is ready!  AND....She had a wonderful day!  Not too many familiar faces in her classes, but enough for her to be comfortable.  No hiccups.  No homework.  I need to upload a picture of her in her gym clothes.  We have to buy them from the school.  They are HUGE!!  Shorts go down to her calves, shirt is like a dress.  Very funny when she put them on.  We decided she is going to have to wear spandex shorts underneath, just in case she loses those shorts while exercising.  

Doesn't Ethan look so happy about school starting??  No...no, he doesn't.  He was very tired.  Poor guy!  And he is a little nervous about the schedule...lunch, lockers, etc.  He is new to the Junior High this year.  And he had a football game after school.  Now that was exciting!  It was a scrimmage game.  It rained.  And the ground was already wet.  They were a nasty, muddy mess.  We won!  He had a good day.  Was aggrivated that his english teacher gave him worthless homework.  I, actually, agreed with him on that one.  It was a packet of "back to school" worksheets.....wordfind, crossword puzzle, and word jumble.  Come on...if you're going to give them homework at this age, can it be something relevant please?

John had a great first day of school.  A lot more freedom at the high school.  They have a lot more variety at lunch and can sit anywhere they want.  Likes all of his classes....except writing.  No surprise there.  The golf team has not been practicing since we are getting so much rain.  Hopefully, they will be able to get back to it soon.  John really enjoys it and he's getting better with every practice.

Who's a happy boy?

Because we are on our way to the beach! Didn't think we were going to get to go at all this summer. I feel like the certification exam stole my summer. Thanks to Irene the schools are still without electricity and school has been pushed back a few days and even football practice is on hiatus. So we are on our way to the beach! LOVE the beach!

For love of Irene.......

Ok, ok, I will finally add some text to these pictures. We got a LOT of rain on Saturday. Was raining at 7am when I woke up and did not stop (no kidding, not even any breaks or slowing down) until about 9pm. You'd think the lake would be at my back door, but it barely came up a foot. Lost electiricity for 3 days. NOW we have a generator. And it won't run everything. NO AC. And some things have to take turns. Can't run everything at once. Like the well pump and the water heater. Well, nothing and the water heater. If you want hot water, you must do without everything until it heats up. But, let me just say this. If you are going to have a storm. There are several things you MUST have. A generator. WATER.....lots of water. (Feeling fresh and clean can go a long way to improving attitudes--mine especially.) Paper products...plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. I remembered everything but the cups. Hey, I'm not perfect. Cereal bars. Did I say water? Soup.....well, if you have a way to heat it up. Diet Coke and chocolate.....almost as important as water. Those flashlights that are rechargable are fantastic! And you will be just fine. Good to have a strong laptop battery and lots of movies. We watched Nim's Island by the candlelight. That was fun. We had some good family time while we watched the storm pass by.

We were very lucky. No damage to our house or property. There is one picture here of our driveway littered with leaves and sticks. A pine tree fell from the neighbor's driveway, but, really it was small. Several trees down in our neighborhood. It was just amazing to see these HUGE trees completely uprooted. Crazy! But we are thankful that we only had to be inconvenienced. Feeling bad for all those who have had to endure far worse.

.....

...eh hem....take 4

Last one, I promise....

Pollypal
Are you having cake?

New Shoes

Haven't even bought "real" school shoes yet and, already, I'm broke! Ethan has fancy new football cleats. Even made me take a picture of the bottom. And if you are a cleat connossieur, you'd know that those cleats can be removed and replaced because he will be working so hard, they WILL get worn out. AND he swears, his feet will not grow for another 3 years.

John, also, proud of the fact that his cleats (not sure if that's what they are called on golf shoes) can be replaced needed a picture of the bottom for dad to oo and ah over since he is in Germany and can't see the shoes face to sole. (Now that was funny. Admit it.)

Here is what I can guarantee you. At the end of the season, Ethan's shoes will look used. Very used. John's will still look brand new. Not because they won't be used. And I guess Ethan is at a disadvantage because he is in a dirtier sport. John just doesn't seem to get anything dirty. It always makes me sad giving John's shoes away. Even though he has worn them every day and his foot has grown, the old shoes still look brand new. He is a very organized and tidy boy. His room used to be pin perfect clean. Not so much anymore, but it's still organized.....John style.

Poor Emily's flip flops broke while we were in town so she had to have something new. She was not very happy. A little uncomfortable being barefoot in the store. The boys did a good job cheering her up and giving her piggy back rides. Way to go fellas! Good brothers! And we had to have a picture of the bottom of her new flip flops just for good measure. (Although we had take it off her foot to get that shot after 50 gazillion blurry photos. Silly girl can't be still!)